The long journey home.
I’m so satisfied!

the best part of traveling is meeting new people. Kimura-san was on Rote Island in indonesia where he met Mori-san. we called him on the way up to this area and met him. a super cool guy that loves surfing just as much as we do. i guess that’s why we all get along very well. good waves together, good food together, good drinks together, and good laughs together. this is surfing!

Mori-san moved here 4 years ago and has been surfing perfect empty lineups ever since. if he’s not here, he’s somewhere in the world surfing world class waves. a cool soul surfer that surfs super good! thank you Mori-san for taking care of us!

had a great conversation with these taiwan surfers. they drove 6 hours from taipei to surf this secret spot. one of the girls told me “you guys are VERY LUCKY!” that’s what i love hearing.

there’s a big city 30 minutes away. perfect for a good massage and good food.

$25 for an hour of a full body pampering. i was sleeping the whole time but when i woke up, i felt so fresh.

then we went to eat the best taiwan nabe ever! it was Mori-san’s favorite and i’d have to say it tastes better than any taiwan nabe i’ve tried before. spicy and good!

the pig blood was interesting. tasted like liver, blood, with a tofu texture.
ok, i gained about 8 pounds on this trip. combine that with the 8 pounds i gained in japan, my stomach looks pretty happy. i better get back to hawaii soon before it gets out of control. but until then, i’m going to eat, eat, and eat!

it’s my 4th time here and things only getting better and better. i had no idea what kind of waves we were going to get this time. heard the rumors but never believe anything endless i see it with my own eyes. well, i seen it with my own eyes!

we were driving yesterday morning looking for a spot we heard was like bali’s uluwatu. driving the wrong way, going down streets just heading for the beach. and this is what we pulled up too! taiwan’s uluwatu! could you imagine how excited we were? perfect waves with nobody out.

the waves were offshore and pumping all day long. surfed a solid morning, then another solid afternoon. caught some good waves, and did a lot of paddling. what an awesome day!

taiwan wasn’t on my mind until the day i left hawaii. made a few calls, and next thing you know, Kimura-san and Hayato joined the soul surfing tour. when you jump at the moment, the moment will come. Hayato’s moment surfing perfect waves in taiwanese paradise!

when we pulled up, nobody was out. i waxed up my board and was the first one in the water. so stoked to have that moment alone in a foreign country. it’s moments like this i live for. thank you Kimura-san for being the morning photographer. on my 6’0 x 18 1/4 x 2 3/8 TSSC shaped by Matchi.

yes, i’m a very happy man! and very happy that i came here to surf these amazing waves. we went back in the afternoon and it was even bigger. solid 6′ pumping surf in taiwan!

after all that paddling, we needed to get pampered. drove into the city for a massage and nabe. Hayato, Mori-san, and Kimura-san enjoying the moment. thanks guys for another wonderful day!
driving up the coast today, surf a solid session, eat dim sum, jumping on a flight to taipei, staying at a hostel, go night market, then jumping on a plane tomorrow morning. a busy day ahead but looking forward to every minute.